Following the brutal murder of Mahsa Amini in September 2022 while in custody of the Guidance Patrol, the religious morality police of Iran’s government, for not wearing the hijab in accordance with the government standards, and protests that ensued thereafter, the United Nations convened a special session to address human rights issues in the country.

On November 24, 2022, the Human Rights Council convened a special session to address `the deteriorating human rights situation in the Islamic Republic of Iran, especially with respect to women and children’. The Special Session was requested through an official letter dated November 11 signed by Katharina Stasch, Permanent Representative of the Federal Republic of Germany to the United Nations Office and other International Organisations in Geneva and Einar Gunnarsson, Permanent Representative of Iceland to the United

Nations Office and other International Organisations in Geneva. The letter addressed to Federico Villegas, President of the Human Rights Council, was officially supported by 17 Member States of the Council and 34 Observer States.

The draft resolution presented and discussed at the special session sought to establish an independent international fact-finding mission to be appointed by the President of the Human Rights Council, to investigate alleged human rights violations in the Islamic Republic of Iran, collect and analyse evidence and engage with stakeholders to establish the facts around such allegations. The UN Human Rights Council has since created a fact-finding mission related to the protests that began on September 16, 2022.

Mmegi had a chat with representatives from the Botswana Bahá’í Community, Sebonego Barungwi and Nassrin M Ardestani, who started off by thanking and expressing gratitude to the Botswana government for voting alongside other nations in support of the United Nations Human Rights Council setting up a fact-finding mission of human rights abuses by government in Iran.

Relating the current situation that Iranians are going through, the representatives shared that the Bahá’ís in Iran have experienced horrific abuses at the hands of their government for a very long time.

One of the representatives, Barungwi said while some may want to take it that the issue is a political one, it is bigger than that, explaining that the issue is purely a human rights matter. “That right is enshrined in any constitution of the country, like in Botswana. The Bill of Rights does not allow any discrimination. Everybody is protected by law and has the right not to be discriminated either by where he/she comes from or by colour or by religion. If Botswana does not allow this, it cannot allow it in other countries that are allies or have dealings with it. It will not accept it. That is why I feel that it is a human right, legal, economic, political, all enshrined in one. So it is that protection of the right and dignity of other human beings irrespective of their origin, religion, or any form of discrimination,” Barungwi said.

Nassrin Ardestani started off with a heartfelt thank you message to the government of Botswana: “To begin with, we acknowledge and convey our thanks and gratitude to the government of Botswana for their stance on the situation of the Bahá’ís in Iran. For many years the government of Botswana has been supporting the resolution against the persecution of the Bahá’ís in Iran and we are deeply grateful. We hope and request that the Government of Botswana continue alongside other states in support of human rights in Iran.”

Barungwi shared with Mmegi that the UN Human Rights Council’s resolution to establish a fact-finding mission will firstly bring hope to the people of Iran that things will change, that at least other countries around the world know what is happening, adding that the pressure will mount for the government of Iran to do something about the situation.

“It is not the first time that the United Nations has condemned such atrocities, but what the government of Iran would do is to modify the way they monitor those who belong to other religions including the Bahá’ís. The Bahá’í Faith is the largest minority religion in Iran. For example, when you apply for a job, they ask everyone to indicate their religion, and that is how they will deny the Bahá’ís access to university, jobs, or other business opportunities that they are entitled to, just on the basis of their religion,” Barungwi said.

Ardestani, being one of the many victims of the religious persecution of the people of Iran, also shared her story. She said to her the resolution brings hope and optimism, not only to the Bahá’í community in Iran, but also to the broader Iranian community.

She added that the Bahá’í Faith has been under attack since 1978. That is 44 years now, and they have executed many Bahá’ís in Iran. In 1979, when the revolution started, I was doing my second year of Law in the university of Tehran with lots of hope and expectation, to become a human rights lawyer, Following the Revolution government had introduced a requirement for studying at tertiary educational institutions to the effect that you had to formally state your religious affiliation. So if you wrote in the religions column that you were a Baha`i… you could not go back to university. So, as a result myself and my sister, who was doing her final year, were expelled from university together with thousands of other young Bahá’ís,” she said. I would like to mention that one of the principles of the Bahai Faith is the oneness of religions and Bahais believe that all the Manifestations, Messengers or Founders of religions, like Abraham, Krishna, Buddha, Moses, Zoroaster, Jesus Christ, Mohammed, The Baba and Baha`u`llah came from God to set humanity`s direction. “All men have been created to carry forward an ever-advancing civilization.”

She further said: “In 1983, Ten young Bahá’í women were executed. The youngest one, Mona Mahmudnizhad, was a 17 year old girl who was teaching moral classes for young children. They arrested her while she was in the class with charges of misguiding young children and youth. She was sentenced to death by hanging in Shiraz on the grounds of being a member of the Bahá’í Faith.”

Another story shared by Ardestani and Barungwi was that of Zhinous Nemat Mahmoudi, an Iranian meteorologist who was a member of the Bahá’í Faith and of the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of Iran.(Since then all Baha`I institutions are banned in Iran) She rose to lead the Iranian Meteorological Service and, after the 1979 Iranian Revolution, the state’s sanction of the execution of Bahá’ís escalated and she was arrested and executed in 1981, following her husband’s execution in 1980.

These stories are examples of the decades of persecution and suffering endured by the Bahá’ís of Iran, in addition to land grabs, vandalization of businesses, and the destruction of holy places and homes.

As persecution and human rights abuses continue to affect the Bahá’ís and the people of Iran as a whole, the Bahá’í Community of Botswana joins the Bahá’í International Community in calling for the immediate stop of blatant persecution, asking all to raise their voices and advocate for the dignity and human rights of the Iranian people.